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Civil Air Patrol Cadets earn Mitchell and Earhart Awards

C/2nd Lt Josh Thompson, C/2nd Lt Hannah Fletcher, and C/2nd Lt Sam Smith, left, center, and right, respectively about to receive their Billy Mitchell Award.
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C/2nd Lt Josh Thompson, C/2nd Lt Hannah Fletcher, and C/2nd Lt Sam Smith, left, center, and right, respectively about to receive their Billy Mitchell Award. Photo Credit: Capt. Jeremy Todd Browner, MER-NC-048 PAO (click image to view full size)
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1/27/2015–– Four Raleigh Wake Composite Squadron cadets received prestigious awards on January 27, 2015.  C/2nd Lt Sam Smith, C/2nd Lt Josh Thompson, and C/2nd Lt Hannah Fletcher, each received the Billy Mitchell Award and C/Capt. Holden Browning, received the Amelia Earhart award. The awards were presented by Col. David Crawford, North Carolina Wing Commander. 

 
Col. Crawford said, “It’s a pleasure for me to be here. Immediately prior to becoming the wing commander, I was the squadron commander for the Raleigh Wake Composite Squadron. This is like returning home for me, it’s like I never left. It’s my pleasure to be out in the field making presentations, particularly milestone awards.”
 
The Billy Mitchell Award is given in honor of Maj Gen William "Billy" Mitchell, former Deputy Chief of the Army Air Service and military aviation visionary.  In order to earn this award, cadets must pass a series of leadership, aerospace and physical fitness tests and attend character development training for each achievement from Cadet Airman Basic through Cadet Chief Master Sergeant.  Only 15% of Civil Air Patrol cadets achieve the Mitchell Award.
 
The Amelia Earhart Award honors the late Amelia Earhart, aviatrix, advocate, and pioneer, who set many records for women aviators in aviation’s infancy, and who was lost while attempting to be the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. The second milestone of the Cadet Program is the Amelia Earhart Award, which is earned after the receipt of the General Billy Mitchell Award and the completion of the first eleven achievements of the Cadet Program. In addition, the cadet must pass a comprehensive 100-question examination covering aerospace topics, leadership theory and staff duties. Only three percent of the 22,000 CAP cadets nationwide earn the Amelia Earhart Award.
 
Raleigh Wake Composite Squadron Commander Major Rich Laviano said, “Congratulations to all recipients…job well done, I hope this is not the end of your pursuit to your highest potential. These are just milestones indicating that you have done very well so far. But you’ve got more to go and I expect to be here again soon.”
 
Raleigh Wake Composite Squadron’s Deputy Commander of Cadets Lt. Col. J. Jay Langley said, “We are all extremely proud of these cadets.  They have distinguished themselves as leaders and mentors, and I am honored to have been a small part of that with them.”
 
The Raleigh Wake Composite Squadron meets weekly on Tuesday from 6:30-9 PM at the North Carolina National Guard Joint Forces Headquarters at 4105 Reedy Creek Road, Raleigh, NC 27607.  If you are interested in learning more about Civil Air Patrol, contact CAP at: jlangley@mer.cap.gov.